ANATOMIX

ANATOMIX is a beamline for X-ray tomography on the micro- and nanoscale, in absorption and phase contrast. It operates in the energy range from 5 keV upward and allows its users to obtain two- and three-dimensional radiographic images of bulk volume samples of macroscopic size (up to several cm thickness). For smaller samples, a spatial resolution down to 50 nm (20 nm pixel size) can be achieved. Real-time studies are possible at speeds of currently up to one microtomography scan per second; higher speeds up to 20 volume scans per second (50 ms per scan) have been demonstrated.

A flexible sample interface enables in situ and/or operando studies under conditions similar to the natural or working environment of the samples (temperature, humidity, mechanical load, transport processes). Biological samples can be measured without dehydration and, in many cases, without chemical fixation. With suitable sample preparation, cellular imaging without cryogenic environment is possible.

ANATOMIX is an Equipment of Excellence (EQUIPEX) funded by the Investments for the Future program of the French National Research Agency (ANR), project NanoimagesX, grant no. ANR-11-EQPX-0031.

Experimental techniques on ANATOMIX

Photon energies from 10 to 50 keV (up to approx. 25 keV with monochromatic beam) Beam size up to 40 mm width Resolution down to approx. 1 µm (pixel size 0.3 µm) Absorption contrast (operational) Inline phase contrast (operational) X-ray grating interferometry (planned)	Photon energy 10 keV: operational (AP24) Other photon energies from 5 to 20 keV under test X-ray image magnification via zone-plate X-ray lenses Resolution down to approx. 80 nm (pixel size 20 nm) Field of view ≈ (40 µm)2 Absorption contrast Zernike phase contrast
For more details: see tab "Technical information" on the left, download beamline paper and beamline User Guide at bottom of page.

Recent papers with results from the beamline:

Examples: Parallel-beam microtomography

[+]	Microtomography with a wide beam: Tomographic slice through the head of a common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Note the soft tissue details, visible through X-ray phase contrast. The dead animal was kept in ethanol for the measurements. Data acquired on ANATOMIX using an indirect detector (scintillator LuAG, 1× photo-objective optics and a scientific CMOS camera) with an effective pixel size of 6.5 µm, resulting in a spatial resolution around 15 µm. The volume data set was collected in 7 minutes using a filtered white X-ray beam with a central energy around 25 keV, at a sample–detector distance of 1.2 m.
[+]	Tomography of stained soft tissue: Horizontal X-ray phase-contrast microtomography slice through the kidney of a mouse. The full volume was recorded in 5 minutes at 17 keV and a sample–detector distance of 33 mm, using an indirect detector (scintillator, 5× microscope objective and a scientific CMOS camera) with an effective pixel size of 1.3 µm, resulting in a spatial resolution around 2.5 µm. Phase retrieval by Paganin filtering was applied to obtain the images shown. The specimen was prepared using 90 mg/ml iodine contrast agent in 2% agar. Left: full slice. Right: enlarged detail of the left image. Sample courtesy Georg Schulz, Biomaterials Science Center, University of Basel, Switzerland.
[+]	Extended-field microtomography: Vertical tomography slice through a piece of shale rock with foraminifera inclusions, acquired with a pixel size of 0.65 µm. The field of view was extended by positioning the rotation axis away from the center of the detector field of view. Sample courtesy R. Pellenq, MSE², umi.mit.edu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology / CNRS / Aix-Marseille Université, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Examples: Transmission X-ray microscopy

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Nanotomography slice of a sample of cement paste at 10 keV. The TXM was used in Zernike phase contrast at a pixel size of 21 nm. The estimated resolution is 85 nm (H) × 75 nm (V). The sample cylinder was prepared with FIB-SEM (i.e., focused-ion-beam milling combined with scanning electron microscopy). Sample courtesy R. Pellenq, MSE², umi.mit.edu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology / CNRS / Aix-Marseille Université, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

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Local nanotomography of soft biological tissue, here: a murine pancreas at 10 keV. The image shows an axial slice through the reconstructed volume. The TXM was used in Zernike phase contrast at a pixel size of 44 nm. The estimated resolution is about 200 nm. The total exposure time for the scan was 133 minutes. The pancreas was extracted, fixed in formol, then dehydrated and included in paraffin. The sample was cut into a cube column of 1.5 mm diameter and a volume of 40 µm diameter and 40 µm height was imaged in local tomography. Sample courtesy Raphael Scharfmann, INSERM / Institut Cochin, Paris, France.

Contacts

Want to perform an experiment on ANATOMIX? Or find out whether the beamline might be suited for your project? The ANATOMIX beamline team members are happy to answer your questions and give advice:

Telephone numbers of beamline rooms